Bookstore adding coffee and socializing to its table of contents

If you live south of the Fraser River and have ever needed to buy a religious gift, or were just jonesing for some good religious literature, there’s a good chance your quest led you to Andreas Pfenniger and his Catholic gift and book store, Holy Family. 

Until recently Holy Family Catholic Gift and Bookstore was the best place to browse Catholic religious items and books. Last fall, the store closed its Langley storefront when the building was sold to developers. 

Now the good news. Holy Family reopened its doors to customers on Canada Day, at their new location in the Murrayville area of Langley Township. The new store is located in building C, 22575 Fraser Highway.  

The move has been stressful, Pfenniger admits. There were construction delays and unforeseen paperwork to file. In addition, the store was closed for not one, but two of the busiest seasons: Christmas and Easter. 

Pfenniger managed to pivot by providing some religious items for confirmations and First Communions this spring, but ultimately, it’s been a struggle.

“It’s for the greater glory of God,” he told The B.C. Catholic in an interview. “I’ve made that my store motto.”

Operating a book and gift store is “not a money-making kind of business,” he said, “But I feel there’s a need for [the bookstore]. It’s my way of evangelizing.”

When he opened the store 15 years ago in Langley, across the street from St. Joseph’s Church, there was something of a vocational call. 

He had been working at Blessings, a since-closed Christian gift and book shop, where he would watch local Catholics come in looking for religious items, books, and resources. Often, Blessings wouldn’t have what they were looking for, and it didn’t sit well with him that there was nowhere for them to buy what they needed.

Shortly after getting married, he approached his wife with the idea that he would start a Catholic bookstore. Her answer surprised him: “I always knew you would,” she said. 

“I don’t know where that came from,” he said. “It tells me that it’s kind of a God-inspired thing, because she knew even before I did.”

His favourite part of running a bookstore is the moments of discovery when he can help customers find exactly what they are looking for. 

“Especially when it’s something a little bit more obscure,” he said. “ Someone comes in and they ask for that one item you think no one’s ever going to want, and you have it and they’re excited; you’re excited.”

Holy Family has two complementary sides to its business. The storefront is dedicated to retail, where customers can find religious items and resources. And in the back room, Pfenniger sells sacramental supplies, candles, and other necessities to around 20 local parishes, including a few Anglican churches. 

Pfenniger plans to add two more areas to the new Fraser Highway store. The first is a children’s area so parents can shop without worrying about their kids, and the second will be a café space. (Customers and staff have been most excited about the café.)

“I would have customers come in who hadn’t seen each other in a long time,” he said. They might attend Mass at different times or have moved to another parish. The chance meetings often result in long conversations, and he decided it would be a good idea to have a place for people to sit and socialize. 

“Whether they meet here on purpose or whether they run into each other by divine Providence, they would be able to at least have a basic coffee and maybe a treat with it,” he said. 

These extra additions are in the business plan Pfenniger submitted to the Township of Langley but won’t be available for a few months after the general opening of the story early in July. 

The store has taught Pfenniger a lot about his faith in terms of knowledge, but also about trusting in God. Sometimes, a customer will ask a question he knows the answers to, but often these experiences have taught him his limits and to let God handle it. 

“You realize with all these books that you don’t know everything,” he said. “But the Catholic Church does know. That was a big jump in my own faith.”

“There came a point where I just accepted: Well, you know what? I don’t have the time to learn everything,” he said. “But I’ve developed enough trust to know that the Church does have the answers.”

To sign up for the store’s mailing list and get notified when it opens, visit holyfamilycatholic.ca/subscribes.html. 

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